• Streaming Video
• Introduction
• Keynote Video
• Registration Info
  • Registration Form
  • Transportation and Parking
  • Fairmont Hotel
• Program Schedule
• Symposium & Speaker Bios
• Life of Shinran Shonin
• Wheel of Dharma Articles
• Art Contest
• Haiku Contest
• JSC Commemorative Project
• District/Temple Activities
• Book List

Buddhist Churches of America
SHINRAN SHONIN 750TH MEMORIAL OBSERVANCE,
SYMPOSIUM AND BANQUET
February 27-28, 2010

Dear BCA Sangha Members and Friends,

We trust that this letter finds you and your family enjoying the light and life of nembutsu in your daily life. On behalf of the Buddhist Churches of America we are truly grateful for your support and involvement in carrying out our mission to realize and share the heart of the Buddha Dharma in our families and communities.

We would like to invite you to participate in two special events on February 27 and 28, 2010, when the BCA will be commemorating Shinran Shonin’s 750th memorial anniversary with a symposium and service at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose, California. Following the Hongwanji’s theme for the memorial observances, we have adopted an abbreviated English version, “Peace and Tranquility,” to be the focus of our programs. This historic gathering will be held in conjunction with the annual BCA National Council meeting hosted by the Coast District Council.

The symposium will feature a keynote address by Dr. Rev. Ken Tanaka of Musashino University, Tokyo, a range of workshops, an interactive Shin Buddhist Expo, banquet speaker Pieper Toyama,Head of the Pacific Buddhist Academy, Honolulu, HI. On Sunday a commemoration memorial service will be open to the public at no charge, and will feature a new musically based program.

In tribute to the spirit of Shinran Shonin’s efforts to share the heart of Nembutsu by making the teachings accessible to people in all walks of life, the BCA National Board has designated the establishment of the Jodo Shinshu Center located in Berkeley, California, as our 750th memorial commemoration project. Dedicated in the fall of 2006, the JSC has become the center of our religious education programs by housing the Institute of Buddhist Studies, Center for Buddhist Education, and the BCA Bookstore. Other tenants include a Hongwanji branch office out of which an international English correspondence course and ministerial training program are administered, and Ryukoku University’s study abroad program.

We look forward to your participation in this special commemorative event that we sincerely hope will bring our Sangha together, affirming the spiritual legacy we’ve received from the teachings of Shinran Shonin, in Peace and Tranquility.

Gassho,

Rev. Ron Kobata and Judy Kono
Co-chairs of the Shinran Shonin 750th Planning Committee